A known shock absorbing structure for a vehicle disclosed in JP2002-155980A (US2002060463 A1) includes a bumper reinforcement 116 made of extruded aluminium so as to be hollowed, a pair of side members 113 extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and a crash box 117 provided between each of the side members 113 and the bumper reinforcement 116.
In this configuration, when the vehicle collides with another vehicle, a load is applied to the vehicle in an axial direction from the front of the vehicle, and the load further transmits to the crash box 117 through the bumper reinforcement 116. Such load is absorbed by means of the crash box 117 that is plastically deformed, as a result, the impact load can be absorbed.
The crash box 117 of the known shock absorbing structure disclosed in JP2002-155980 is made of extruded aluminium extending in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, so that the crash box 117 includes a first opening facing the bumper reinforcement 116 and a second opening facing the side member 113.
In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, a bracket 91 is fixed by welding to the crash box 117 so as to cover the first opening thereof.
The crash box 117 is attached by screwing to the bumper reinforcement 116 by means of the bracket 91.
The crash box 117 is also attached to the bracket 119 of the side member 113 by screwing by means of the flange 118, which is fixed by welding to the crash box 117 and extends outward from the second opening of the crash box 117.
Further, when a load is applied to the crash box 117, which is provided on one end of the bumper reinforcement 116, in an axial direction of the vehicle upon an offset collision with, for example, another vehicle S, and when the crash box 117 is significantly plastically deformed, the crash box 117 provided on the other end of the bumper reinforcement 116 (on the opposite of the collided side) is pulled by means of the bumper reinforcement 116 so as to bend. Based upon this movement, the welding portion W90 between the flange 118 and the crash box 117 may split. As a result, in the event of an offset collision, impact load on the opposite of the collided side cannot be absorbed sufficiently.
Thus, a need exist to provide a shock absorbing structure for a vehicle which preferably absorb the impact load applied to the vehicle on the opposite of the collided side, especially in the event of an offset collision.